


Call My Name or Walk On By

by mizface



Series: PiP future fic [1]
Category: Pretty In Pink (1986)
Genre: Gen, Post-Movie(s), Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-01
Updated: 2013-01-01
Packaged: 2017-11-23 06:31:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/619110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizface/pseuds/mizface
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I just don’t know, Duckie,” Andie said as she twirled Steff’s card between her fingers.  “What do you think?”</p><p>“I think I’m upset you didn’t call me the first time you saw him again,” Duckie replied.  </p><p>“Because it was no big deal,” she insisted.  “We ran into each other at a restaurant, he came over and said hello, and that was it.”</p><p>“If that was all it was, you’d have said something,” Duckie pointed out.  And damn it all, he was right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Call My Name or Walk On By

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lucifuge5](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucifuge5/gifts).



> (Way too many) A/N: Months ago, my bestest con-roomie lucifuge5 made a Twitter request for this pairing. I apparently have little power to say no to her when it comes to plotbunnies, and sent snippets to her for days. I hadn’t realized until she mentioned it recently that I never posted any of this, including some new bits she’d never seen.
> 
> So in honor of her birthday (LOVE YOU, BAYBEE!), have some future!fic for _Pretty in Pink_. In keeping with the 80s movie theme, the title comes from Simple Minds’ “Don’t You Forget About Me”.
> 
> HUGE thanks to hazelwho for looking this over!
> 
> And I’m using this as a cottoncandybingo fill, for the square “reunited”. Hmmmm… it appears that ALL of the fills I’ve got in progress so far are for ‘verses she encouraged me to write. Behold the power of Luce!

Andie recognized him the moment she saw him enter the restaurant. Of course she did; he hadn't really changed all that much. Still swept his gaze over everyone and everything in the room as if cataloging it - she could practically see him checking off mental boxes, marking things as to how worthy of his time or attention they were. Or how he could use them to his advantage.

She turned away with a frown as she realized she was waiting for him to notice her... wondering what category he'd place her in. Not that it mattered, she reminded herself. It had never mattered to her. _He_ had never mattered to her, not even when she and Blaine had been together. He'd been nothing more than a representation of what she didn't want out of life, a living example of what not to become.

She doubted seriously that he'd even recognize her now, or if he did, that he'd acknowledge it. Sure, he'd been after her back in high school, but she had no doubts that it had less to do with her as a person, and more that she'd actually dared to resist his so-called charm. She'd never fit any of his categories, not then, not now. 

If she'd been here waiting tables, maybe he'd make a connection between the independent, hell-with-them girl she'd been and the woman she was today. Still independent, still willing to tell the world to fuck off, but tempered, a little more careful. Andie still believed she could have the life, the world she wanted, but knew better how to get it.

Today's meeting with a client was one example. While she was doing well enough with her boutique and her line to eat at a place like this, she still preferred going to smaller, mom and pop restaurants where the decor might not be fancy, but the atmosphere, the warmth and friendliness and family feel, made being there infinitely more enjoyable. But it hadn't been her choice, so here she was, waiting to have a bland lunch at a bland cafe.

Resisting the urge to check her watch (Ashley was always late), Andie pulled out a notebook and pencil and started sketching. A shadow fell across the paper and she looked up, surprised to see Steff standing there, something in his eyes she couldn't identify. She arched an eyebrow and waited for him to speak.

At her look, he broke into a smile, and it threw her just a little. Andie was pretty sure she'd never seen anything resembling genuine emotion on his face before.

"Andie," he said, still smiling. "Good to know you haven't changed completely. I thought I had to be wrong when I saw you."

"Because I shouldn't be here?" she found herself saying.

"Wouldn't, not shouldn't," he corrected, then indicated a chair. "May I?"

"I'm expecting someone," she answered, and he blinked, looking almost disappointed. What on Earth was going on? 

"Of course you are," he said, and there was the attitude she'd expected, but just a hint. "Just thought it might be... interesting to catch up."

"Tell me how amazing your life is so I can feel bad about mine, you mean?"

"I am hurt, Andie," he said, hand to his chest and mocking smile firmly in place. "Is that really how you still think of me?"

"Until five minutes ago, I didn't think about you at all," she replied, sweetly insincere.

If the comment hurt, he didn’t show it. "Well, then I'm glad I stopped and remedied that appalling situation."

"I'm sorry, did you say appalling or appealing?"

And instead of that getting under Steff's skin he laughed, honestly laughed and shook his head. "Still saying exactly what you think, I see. Good for you." He touched the back of the chair again. "Sure I can't stay, just for a minute?"

And wonder of wonders, Andie found herself wanting to say yes. But before she had time to figure out what that meant, she saw Ashley coming toward them, most of the woman’s attention focused on the call she was on.

Steff followed her gaze and shrugged. "Maybe another time, then." He reached over and before she could stop him, he'd taken her hand, kissing the back softly. "Until next we meet."

Andie spent the rest of the lunch only half paying attention to the design she and Ashley discussed, preoccupied with wondering what would have happened if her client had been just a few minutes later. 

**************

When the door to the shop opened, bell tinkling merrily, Andie swore under her breath. She was right in the middle of a really good idea, one of the first she’d had in days, and the need to get it on paper was intense. Times like these, she wished she was doing well enough to have another full-time employee. Maybe someday.

Sketching as rapidly as possible and scribbling notes on the side as she stood, Andie took a deep breath, tucking her pencil behind her ear as she went to greet her customer.

The man had his back to her, looking at the rack nearest the door. She put a smile on her face as she approached him. It froze as he turned around and she saw that it was Steff.

He let go of the hem of the skirt he’d been toying with and smirked, probably immensely pleased with himself for surprising her. Andie did her best to school her expression into something polite and professional. From Steff’s raised eyebrow, she was betting she hadn’t done a great job of it.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“Hello to you too,” he replied, amusement lacing his voice. 

She resisted the urge to cross her arms over her chest; seeing him made her feel like a defensive teenager, and she wasn’t going there, especially not in her own store.

“Hello, Steff,” she finally said when it became obvious he was waiting for her to speak. “Is there something you were looking for?”

“And isn’t _that_ a loaded question,” he said with a wink. 

Andie couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She decided professionalism was overrated, and in this case, unnecessary. “If you’re just here to bother me, I have better things to do with my time.”

“What if I’m here to buy something?”

“Are you?” she challenged.

Steff grinned. “No, actually I’m not. I came to see you.”

“And now that you have, and you’ve seen my shop, are you done?”

“Why do you think I’m here, Andie?” he asked, moving to lean against the doorframe.

“Because you were bored, maybe? Saw my place, thought it would be good for a laugh, poor deluded Andie, thinking she can have a successful design business?”

Steff’s expression clouded over with something she couldn’t quite name. “Is that really how you see me?”

“Is there another way? You were a total asshole in high school.”

“I still am,” he replied with a smile. “Doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”

She gaped at that. “Friends? Until a few weeks ago, it had been nearly fifteen years since I’d seen you, and now you want to be friends?”

“Sure,” he said, shrugging too casually.

Andie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “What do you want, Steff?”

“I don’t know,” he replied, sounding genuinely confused. He pushed himself from the wall to move a step closer to her. “And it’s making me crazy. You have no idea. All I know is when I saw you in that restaurant, I had to come talk to you. And since then…” He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair, shifting his gaze to the side as he went on. “Since then, I keep finding myself thinking about you. Wondering about your life, how you are, what you’re doing.”

“You think about me?” Andie couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing.

“Yes!” Steff said throwing his hands in the air. “And it’s damned annoying. _You’re_ annoying.”

Andie couldn’t help herself; she laughed, then laughed again when the first one garnered a glare from Steff. “You can’t stop thinking about me, which I can in no way control, or even explain for that matter, so you what? Track me down to blame me for it? Now _that’s_ more the Steff I remember.”

His glare changed to a grudging smile. “Well, when you put it that way…” 

Andie shook her head. “I’m fine. My life is good, my work is going well, and while I’m not internationally known or disgustingly rich, I never really wanted to be. Is that what you wanted to know?”

He gave her a considering look. “Is everything you remember about me bad?”

She sighed again. “Was there anything good to remember?”

“Probably not,” he admitted. “Don’t suppose I could change that?”

What? “What do you mean?”

“I mean, Andie, that you are probably still the most infuriating, intriguing, honestly interesting person I’ve ever met. At least, that’s how _I_ remember _you_. And I’d like the opportunity to see if it’s still true.” He took another step closer, stopping just at the edge of her personal space. “So what do you think? Can we be friends?” 

The phone rang then, saving Andie from answering Steff’s question, at least for a minute or two. He went back to wandering the small shop as she took the call, and when she hung up she was still undecided. Andie looked at the floor, biting her lower lip as she tried to figure out if he was sincere. She flicked her gaze up to see Steff watching her, almost anxiously hopeful. It quickly changed to a more neutral smile when he realized she’d caught him looking.

What the hell, she decided. It wasn’t like she didn’t know what Steff was capable of. She knew to keep her guard up, not take him at all seriously, and truth be told, now _she_ was a little intrigued. Not flattered, she told herself, just… she hadn’t had anyone seem that interested in her for a long time. Even if it wasn’t real, it might be nice to pretend, just for a little bit.

“So, what do you think?” he asked again when she approached him.

“You and I friends? I don’t know,” she told him honestly. “But if you’re serious, I’m willing to give it a chance.”

That surprised a smile out of him, and she was momentarily taken aback at how open and real it was. “So, friend, free for lunch today?” he asked.

“This shop doesn’t run itself,” she answered. “And before you ask, no, I won’t close it just to have lunch with you.”

Steff looked like he wanted to protest, but at her firm look he just shrugged. “Your loss,” he told her, and if she hadn’t seen his real smile, she might have believed the one he gave her now. 

He pulled out his wallet, and for a moment she was afraid he was going to try to bribe her to come along. But he just took out a business card, then reached over and pulled the pencil from behind her ear before she could stop him. 

“Here’s my number,” he said as he wrote. “Consider the ball directly in your court.” He held out the card and her pencil, then caught her hand as she took the items. As he had at the café, Steff raised it to his lips for a brief kiss.

“Until next we meet,” he said, and again as before, left before she could even say goodbye.

Andie stared down at her hands for a long minute, then took the card and put it in her purse. For once, she was glad for the long day ahead. She certainly had a lot to think about.

**************

“I just don’t know, Duckie,” Andie said as she twirled Steff’s card between her fingers. “What do you think?”

“I think I’m upset you didn’t call me the first time you saw him again,” Duckie replied, and she could hear the mix of teasing and genuine upset through the phone. 

“Because it was no big deal,” she insisted. “We ran into each other at a restaurant, he came over and said hello, and that was it.”

“If that was all it was, you’d have said something,” Duckie pointed out. And damn it all, he was right. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Andie sighed as she thought. “There’s something different about him,” she finally said. “And I can’t figure out what it is or why he’s suddenly looking to spend time with me. It’s a little annoying.”

“But you’re interested.”

“In Steff?” she scoffed. “Come on.”

“Okay, then why talk about this at all? Throw the card away, forget he stopped by, go on with your life.” When she didn’t respond, he went on. “Or, call him, set up a lunch, and find out what’s going on.”

“You think?”

“Sure. Just… do it on _your_ terms. Keep him on his toes.”

“Okay,” she nodded, then repeated it more firmly. “Okay. Just, call him, get it over with, and go back to my life as usual. I can do that.”

“That’s my girl,” Duckie said affectionately. Andie could easily picture the warm smile on his face, and missed him fiercely.

**************

Andie arrived early, and positioned herself so she was facing the door. It was worth it when she saw the look on his face when he arrived.

“You look surprised to see me,” she said.

“I think I am, a little,” he replied as he sat down.

“Why? I called you, didn’t I?”

He tilted his head in acknowledgement. “But it could have been a set-up.”

“For what? This isn’t high school. Besides, that’s more your style than mine.”

Steff winced at that, then gave her a wry smile. “You’re absolutely right. I apologize. “Which I know is _not_ my style. But I mean it.”

And she was pretty sure he did. Not wanting to dwell on that, she changed the subject. “So, any trouble finding the place?”

“Not at all,” he replied, and shifted in his chair to take a look around the tiny restaurant. “It’s… quaint,” he finally said, tone careful.

“Best coffee in the city, and I’ve never had a bad meal here,” Andie told him, waiting for him to say something snide about the simple decor.

But he just relaxed back into his chair and nodded. “Then I’m sure it will be fine.” He picked up a menu, looking not-quite convinced, but if he had anything else he wanted to say, he kept it to himself.

She watched him as he perused the menu, trying to figure him out. “You’re being awfully accommodating,” she told him when he caught her looking and raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Is that a problem?” he asked, a too-innocent look on his face. “Because I can do something dickish if it would make you feel better.”

Andie found herself chuckling at the offer, and Steff grinned. “No, I’ll take this while it lasts,” she answered, picking up her tea to take a drink.

His look turned slightly troubled, and he leaned forward to say something, but before he could, their waiter appeared. Andie gave him a warm smile in greeting. She’d known the young man for years; his grandparents owned the restaurant, and she couldn’t count the number of times she’d seen him at a back table working on homework. They chatted briefly about how his first year in college had gone, and his summer plans, before he took their order. Steff had remained quiet the entire time, but Andie could feel him watching her. 

She’d expected Steff to be rude, maybe make a comment about the waiter taking too much time or being too friendly, something. But he gave his order with a pleasant smile, and once again Andie didn’t know what to make of the man in front of her.

Once they were alone again, she wasn’t sure what to say, and the silence started to feel awkward. 

Steff sat back in his chair, eyebrow raised. “So,” he said. “Ask me.”

She frowned in confusion. “Ask you what?”

“Whatever you want,” he replied with a nonchalant wave of his hand. “It’s been fifteen years. Isn’t there anything about me you want to know?”

Okay, so what first? And would he even be honest if she did ask him something? She decided to start somewhere easy.

“No wife?” she asked, with a nod toward his ringless left hand.

He shook his head. “Only of the ex variety. And no children, thank God. Made it so much easier to never see the bit—woman again.”

Andie couldn’t help but smile, and Steff gave her a confused look. “What?”

“Just trying to picture you with kids.”

Steff gave a shudder, and Andie’s smile widened. “I would be spectacularly bad as a father,” he agreed. “But what about you?”

“I’d be a bad father too,” she deadpanned, then shrugged as he gave her an _I was serious_ look. “I wanted to focus on my career,” she said, watching the ice move around in her tea as she swirled the glass.

“And you probably had enough of mothering people growing up,” he said. Andie looked up in surprise, and Steff shook his head. “Did you think no one at school knew about your dad? How you took care of him?”

“I didn’t think _you_ knew,” she admitted.

“Well, I did,” he replied matter-of-factly. “And not because Blaine ever said anything.” He gave her a measuring look. “Or is that subject off limits?”

“It’s fine,” she told him, meaning it. “What Blaine and I had was over a long time ago. And it wasn’t like he broke my heart. We just grew apart, and before you say _I told you so_ , please just don’t.”

He held up his hands. “I would never-” Andie gave a snort of disbelief at that and Steff sighed. “All right, I totally would. But I won’t. I don’t really have any high ground when it comes to failed relationships. Divorced, remember?”

The arrival of their salads gave Andie some much-appreciated time to regroup. She hadn’t known how lunch would go, but it was safe to say she hadn’t expected this.

Something of what she was thinking must have shown on her face; as soon as they were alone again, Steff picked up his fork and twirled it in her general direction before using it to get a bite. “You look… I have no idea, actually,” he said, a crease forming between his eyebrows as he studied her. “Want to fill me in on what’s got you thinking so hard?

Why not? “Look at us,” she said, indicating them and their surroundings. “There’s so much about this that doesn’t make sense. Seriously, Steff. We have nothing in common except bad memories. Why do this now?”

He finished his bite and put the fork down, leaning in. “Are you giving up without trying? That’s not the Andie I remember.”

“I’m just trying to figure this out.” She sighed. “Figure _you_ out.”

“Like I told you at your shop – I have no idea why, but when I saw you in that café a few weeks ago…” he trailed off, then sat back, shaking his head. “I don’t know. I just got this feeling like it meant something, running into you like that.”

“What, like lost chances or something?”

“Maybe,” he said with a small shrug. “I promise, I’m not playing any game, and I don’t expect anything. I just wanted to see you. And yes, I know we don’t have much in common, and that we were never friends before. But look at it this way – we have nowhere to go but up.”

She rolled that over in her mind. He had a point. “All right,” she said, picking up her fork and spearing a bite of salad. 

“All right?” he echoed. 

“Yeah,” Andie nodded, smiling despite herself. 

Steff smiled too, bright and real. “Good.”

And surprisingly enough, it was.


End file.
